Sivasithamparam's funeral in Jaffna

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 05 June 2002, 18:08 GMT]The funeral of the TNA leader Mr. Murugesu Sivasithamparam will be held at his birthplace Karaveddy in Jaffna district Sunday noon, party sources said. Mr.Sivasithamparam body now lies at his residence at Havelock Road, Thimbirigasaya, in Colombo.

The cortege will leave his Colombo residence on Friday and will be flown to Jaffna where the body will be kept at the main office of the Tamil United Liberation Front. His body will be taken to his residence in his birth place in Karaveddy on Saturday morning and the cremation will take place at Karaveddy Sonappu crematorium Sunday noon, said a statement issued by the senior vice president of the TULF.

Meanwhile several leaders of political parties have condoled the death of late Mr.Sivasithamparam, "as an irreparable loss to the Tamil community when his services are needed at this crucial juncture."

In the meantime, the entire cabinet of the United National Front government led by its Prime Minister Mr.Ranil Wickremasinghe will pay their last respects Mr.Sivasithamparam Thursday evening, government sources said.

The Prime Minister Mr.Ranil Wickremasinghe has intimated his inability to attend the funeral in Jaffna on Sunday as he is scheduled to leave to India on that day. Senior ministers and the Speaker Mr.Jospeh Michael Perera will go to Jaffna to attend Mr. Sivasithampram's funeral at Karaveddy on Sunday, on behalf of the UNF government, ruling party sources said.

Mr.Sivasithamparam first entered the parliament in 1956 as an independent candidate from the Point Pedro electorate. Later he joined the All Ceylon Tamil Congress and represented the Udupiddy electorate in parliament from 1960 to 1970. During this period from 1965 to 1968, he served as the Deputy Speaker.

He became the vice president of the Tamil United Liberation Front in 1972. He succeeded as the President of the TULF when its founder President Mr.S.J.V.Chelvanayakam passed away in 1977. He represented the Nallur electorate in parliament from 1977 to 1983. His house was burnt down in the 1983 July anti Tamil pogrom in Colombo. He later left for South India. He had his primary education at Karaveddy Vigneswara College. He obtained his higher education at Colombo St. Joseph's College. He passed out as an advocate from the Colombo Law College.